The director Kevin Smith has paid tribute to the actor Alan Rickman, who Smith called “one of my favourite people who ever lived”.

Smith directed Rickman as the voice of God in his 1999 film, Dogma, and in a Facebook post recounted how Rickman was “the first non-friend who signed up to the flick, but he became a great friend in record time”.

Smith echoed the impression of many who worked with Rickman in highlighting the disparity between his dastardly roles and the actor’s own personality.

“I loved Hans Gruber the minute I saw #DieHard but I fell in love with the soft-spoken gentle soul who brought Gruber to life.”

Smith continued: “Thank you for lending a hack like me your artistry and your credibility, Alan. You were never Snape to me as much as you were the adult Harry Potter himself: a bonafide wizard who could conjure absolute magic using merely words.

“He was a HUGE cauldron of win, this man. I’ll miss him forever. Rest in Peace, Voice of God. Back to Heaven, where you came from …”

On Thursday, Smith shared another behind-the-scenes photo on Twitter to mark the actor’s passing.